ALL MY LUCKY STARS

Alexander

I woke up with an angel laying in my arms, sound asleep.

Olivia.

I could wake up like this every day.

I moved my head down just a bit to breathe her in. Her hair smelled faintly of coconut, and then I pulled her arm more and I got a whiff of her perfume. It was like smelling a flower, but also so feminine and seductive.

The sun was starting to rise outside when I saw the time. Almost seven. I could go to work late, but maybe she would have to leave soon.

"Hey, sleepyhead," I nudged her gently.

"Hm?" She moaned, sounding so innocently and unintentionally sexy.

"It's seven. Do you have work soon?"

"No. I'm off today."

"Really?"

"Mhmmmm" she said quietly, drifting back off.

I kissed her on the forehead a few times, and her eyes finally opened and looked up at me. "Good morning," I whisper.

"Hi," she said groggily.

"Hungover?"

"Slightly."

I gave her a look, and she fessed up. "Okay, badly. I'm not 19 anymore. I don't know why I think I can drink that much."

"You were sad. Drinking is always reserved for sadness."

"Did I... scare you with anything I said?"

I looked at her, puzzled. What was she thinking? "Scare me? How would you scare me?"

"I don't know... I guess I just don't want to put any pressure on this early in a relati--" she cut herself off.

She looked at me with pained eyes, but with yearning behind them. She wanted me to tell her that yes, I want to start a relationship. That I was already falling head over heels. Yet anything I could have told her wouldn't have been even close to how I feel.

But she had only gotten out of a relationship a little over a month ago. And from what she's told me, an abusive one. My heart hurts for her and my blood boils at the thought of some bastard hurting her. I still can't shake the feeling of possibly being a rebound or at least not wanting to put pressure on her this early in our situationship.

"You won't scare me off. That movie we watched was scary." She chuckled. "But you are nowhere near that."

"You promise?" She asks, almost scared like someone's broken her promise before. Or several times, even.

I hold up my pinky and she grabs mine with hers. I kiss her on the forehead and rub my hands over her back.

"Are we still on for dinner tomorrow night?" I ask.

"I would hope so... Kind of looking forward to it." She smiled up at me, toying with my hand while my other hand continued up and down her back. "Do you have to go to work soon?"

"I'm afraid so. Not all of us have the fortune to have Wednesdays off."

"Well, I trade in one weekday to work on Saturday. That's how most library scheduling works," she continued. "Besides, I won't be relaxing today. I have a lot of stuff to work on at home." I loved how passionate she was about her job. It was sexy.

And she was an especially sexy librarian.

And that bastard she dated took advantage of her. Her sweetness, her kindness. Her fullness.

I vowed to myself that I would never let anybody hurt her again.

"Alex?"

"Yeah, Livvie?"

"Are you thinking again? You're staring off."

"I... was just thinking about what you told me last night. I didn't get to say much before you fell asleep, but I just wanted to tell you that you didn't deserve what he did to you. I don't know if you feel like you do. And I'm so, so sorry he did that to you."

"I know now that I didn't deserve it. But I think there were times where I felt like I did. I think he made me feel that way. It wasn't until I got away that I thought about everything with so much clarity. He never loved me." My heart hurt for her.

"Did you love him?" I asked. Not mad, not jealous, not angry. I just want her to feel like she can tell me anything.

"I think I was in love with who I thought he was. The guy he was 'before' he started hitting me. But I don't think that guy ever existed. It was just an act to break me down."

"I'm sorry," I told her again.

"I found out later that he actually has a record. He has three different domestic abuse reports. He was a bit older than me. I think he turned 32 this year." She paused, sighing deeply. "I wish I had googled him sooner. Now I have a restraining order against him."

I didn't want to say anything, so I just held her and kissed her hard on her forehead.

"You're strong," I told her.

"I had to be," she replied, voice cracking just a little. She stood up and stretched out, and I could see a sliver of her stomach, her nipples pointing hard through that same tight shirt from the very first night. I hope she didn't feel the massive erection I woke up with.

I got up after her and put on my socks and shoes, then gave her a good, long look, as if I'd forget her face. Like I could. She smiled at me. "What?" She asked, innocently, curiously.

"Nothing," I told her, and I bent down to kiss her cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Before I could turn away, she grabbed my arm, pulled me back close to her, and landed a sweet, gentle kiss on my lips. I kissed her back with the same force and hoped she couldn't tell I was already falling in love.